How to celebrate your birthday when you’re a busy mom

Naomi de la Torre is freelance writer and stay-at-home-mom with two delightful boys, ages three and six. Naomi has an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Arizona, is a self-proclaimed salsa diva, and can make a killer octopus ...

7 Ways to celebrate yourself

It’s your birthday, Mom. Time to take a break from your busy schedule to celebrate you! Check out our suggestions for some flamboyant birthday fun on your special day.

Plan a Birthdaypalooza

When you're a mom, it's easy to get overlooked sometimes. Between scrambling around after the kiddos, feeding the baby, making healthy dinners, scraping those healthy dinners off the ceiling, driving from one end of the city to the other for Kindermusic, dance classes and T-ball practice, sometimes you barely remember to brush your own teeth.

Come on, admit it. Have you let your birthday pass on occasion without taking the time to really celebrate because you're just too busy? Don't let this year pass you by. Plan a birthdaypalooza and really live it up. Those peanut butter stains of the hems of all your shirts prove you deserve it.

Celebrate Yourself

Don't wait for your husband or significant other to make plans. (Because Lord knows if you do this, you'll be eating at Burger King on your big day. Or worse.) Take the reins into your own hands and celebrate yourself the way you really want to. Looking for some fun birthday ideas to get your creative juices flowing? Here are a few of our favorites.

Organize Your Own Birthday Party

Just because you're not 10 years old anymore doesn't mean you don't like birthday parties, does it? (I know I do!) Go ahead and plan an awesome birthday bash for yourself. It can be as elegant or casual as you like. An afternoon brunch with just a few girlfriends, a backyard barbecue with the whole gang or a fancy cocktail party with your favorite couple friends. Whatever you choose, it'll be a day to remember.

Spoil Yourself at the Spa

I don't know about you, but I don't think five minutes in the bathroom each morning with a two-year-old attached to my lower thigh really counts as time for personal hygiene. This is your excuse to live it up. Choose every soothing spa treatment on the book. Manicure, pedicure, facial, massage, you name it! Pamper yourself from head to toe.

Go on a Shopping Spree

Has your wardrobe seen better days? Sometimes when you're busy running after little one, it's easy to forget that there are other clothes options out there besides yoga pants and stained T-shirts. Not to mention, trying to shop with toddlers around is about as fun as poison ivy at a nudist camp. Don't pass up this opportunity to revamp your look. Grab a gal pal and hit the mall! You won't regret it.

Get Your Craft On

Do you have hobbies that always get overlooked because you're too busy with the family? How about taking a few hours of your birthday to catch up on all those half-finished projects. Whether it's scrapbooking, sewing, knitting, painting, writing poetry or just organizing the family photo albums, don't be afraid to ask for the time you need. It's your birthday and you can craft if you want to!

Build a Mom Cave

Wish you had a little space in the house that wasn't overrun with Polly Pockets, misplaced goldfish crackers, random socks and Tonka trucks? Now's the time to build your very own Mom Cave. No one will question you on your birthday, so make sure to get your cave up and running before the day is over. When it's finished, you'll have a place to get away and find your inner Zen all year long.

Weekend Getaway

Has it been years since you and your snookums really spent a weekend of romance together? (Yeah, we know it's hard to find time for romance when your toddlers won't even let you sit next to each other on the couch.) The time is now! Book a romantic weekend getaway and make the time to reconnect and recharge in the lap of luxury.

Plan a Family Fun Day

Do you spend too much time at work and feel like you never get a day just to enjoy your family? Now's the perfect time to plan an awesome family adventure. A day at the beach, a trip to the zoo, a walk through the botanical gardens? Choose an activity that everyone will enjoy and spend the day bonding with the people you love best -- your family.